“Vanka”

The setting of the story puts Vanka in a time of misery and almost slavery conditions. He is the apprentice of a shoemaker, but instead is treated like a dog. He is constantly beaten and poorly fed. Lacking appropriate education, as was the case of most poor kids of the time, he still manages to write a plead letter to his grandfather, yet his style is incoherent at times, jumping from moments of sadness to joyful events, triggered by memories of a distant past. His rushed writing is justified by feelings of despair, looking for a prompt solution to his misery. After all he is just a little kid, and at that age his mind is all about fun and games; instead he is even forced to steal. He overcrowded the letter with ideas, fears, promises and hopes. He is also able to transmit, with a limited perception, his visions and interpretations of the surrounding world, as it is described on the impression he has of Moscow. Similarly he is able to picture vivid images of h...